Shop the City

29.06.2016

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When you wander through the Tuchlauben, you may not be aware that it has one of the richest histories of anywhere in Vienna. And the fashion trade has always been at home here: Tuch (cloth) sellers would advertise their wares here.

But shopping fans are not the only ones to get their money’s worth in the historical buildings where the flagship stores of numerous international brands are housed today. At number 5 on Tuchlauben Strasse – a 19th-century property – for example, Etro invites you to come in and appreciate art. The founder of the company, Gimmo Etro, is an avid art collector and generously opens his collection to the public in his stores around the world. You can find out about the artworks and where they are on display via the art gallery on the Etro website. And you can have a close look at some of the pieces right here in Vienna.

From Brunelleschi to Canova

The portrait of Countess Vera Arrivabene by Umberto Brunelleschi, which adorns the rooms here, is an icon of Italian art deco. Meanwhile, the walls of the marble staircase are decorated with casts of Trajan’s Column from Rome and the Parthenon from Greece. The two spectacular crystal chandeliers were designed by the artist and celebrated furniture and lighting designer Mark Brazier Jones. Their light falls on works in bronze by the Italian sculptor Antonio Canova.